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Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 144 3rd International Conference on Arts, Design and Contemporary Education (ICADCE 2017) Analysis of Zhao Mengfu‟s “Ancient Realm” Xianjuan Dong Department of Art and Design The College of Engineering and Technology of Chengdu University of Technology Leshan China 614000 Arts College Sichuan University Chengdu, China 610065 Abstract—Zhao Mengfu was a strong advocator and many Western region people in the capital of Tang Dynasty, implementer of literati painting in Yuan Dynasty. He advocated and they could communicate with each other with no problem. the "ancient realm", which can be understood from the two Until the Five Dynasties, although there were good painters aspects of "ancient" and "realm". "Ancient" means to copy the like Wang Qihan, but their paintings are the same with the Han previous generation, it both includes the copy of previous literati monks.I have been lived in the capital for a long time and I painting’s “above all material desires”, and also includes the often traveled with Tianzhu monks, and they are like arhat, so I copy of literati’s character and vigour of style; And the "realm" believed I have got their spirit. This painting was painted can be regarded as "artistic conception", that is, the literati seventeen years before, and it with roughly ancient realm, I painting’s "simple", "elegant" and "light" style. Zhao Mengfu wonder what you think about it.”[1] In the inscriptions, Zhao was actually use the past to open today, he created a new style of Mengfu in addition to evaluate the ancient arhat portraits, but literati freehand painting. also comment on his own painting Red Arhat, he mentioned Keywords—Zhao Mengfu; ancient realm himself often traveled with Tianzhu monks when he lived in the capital, so he believed the arhat figure painting was good enough, and with "roughly ancient realm", from which we can I. INTRODUCTION see, "ancient realm" is the painting style and artistic conception In the history of Chinese painting, we could roughly Zhao Mengfu pursuit. Also Zhao Meng discussed in his self divided painting into realistic and freehand painting two kinds. postscript scrolls that: "The most valuable thing for painting is Realistic painting was represented by imperial-court decorative ancient realm, if you do not have the ancient realm, although painting painters, they focused on the rules and laws; freehand the painting skill is perfect it is useless. Today people called painting was represented by the literati painters, they focused themselves as good painter once they know how to use pencraft on the convey of artists‟ subject emotions and promote the and colors, but they do not know that without ancient realm, "ancient realm". their paintings have various problems, so how could their paintings been watchable? It seems that my paintings are II. "ANCIENT REALM" AND LITERATI PAINTING simple but people who understand would know that they are close to the ancient and they are good paintings. This could Yuan Dynasty is the heyday of the development of literati only been known by people who knows, and people who do painting, Zhao Mengfu as a pioneer and advocator of literati not know will not been told.” [2] Zhao Mengfu believed that" painting, put forward a lot of painting theories which deeply ancient realm "is the realms which painting works pursuit, if influenced the four masters in Yuan dynasty and later literati the works do not have ancient realm, even the perfect painting painters. Some people may question the identity of Zhao skill is not useful, if only know neat, slim and beautiful color Mengfu as a literati painter since there are many imperial-court for painting, then it is a sick work that has no connotation, only decorative paintings in his works, but if we compare his works with "ancient realm" are good work. What kind of paintings with the imperial-court decorative painting works of painting spirit or style is the “ancient realm” which Zhao the Southern Song Dynasty, we will find that Zhao Mengfu's Mengfu so advocate? What is the connotation of "ancient painting is different from the northern court style, but also out realm"? of the influence of the late flow of Southern Song Dynasty‟s imperial-court decorative painting, he emphasized the feeling expression, and in technique he stressed to combine calligraphy III. THE CONNOTATION OF ZHAO MENGFU‟S "ANCIENT" into painting. In this way, first in aesthetic feelings it is close to AND "REALM" the literati painting, and further the distance with imperial-court To understand Zhao Mengfu‟s "ancient realm", we have to decorative painting. Zhao Mengfu often mentioned ancient start from the "ancient" and "realm" two aspects. China esteem realm in his painting theory and painting postscript, such as in the past over the present since ancient times, "ancient" literally the figure painting "Red Arhat" he wrote: "I often see the can be understood as the previous generation, then the ancient image of Arhat Lulingjia, it has the best manner of Western of the "ancient realm" have the first layer of meaning, that is Regions, so people called it the best. It is because there are "copy the previous generation". However, there is a broad area Copyright © 2017, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). 120 Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 144 before Yuan Dynasty, it can not all be Zhao Mengfu‟s copy Song literati painting not only has got development in object, literati painting‟s “above all material desires” and the landscape painting, but in figure, flowers and birds paintings literati‟s character, vigour of style are the object which Zhao also appeared Li Gonglin, Wen Tong and such literati painters. Mengfu yearning and pursuit. Therefore, in order to be clear of Thus, the Song Dynasty literati paintings were not limited to a what the previous generation means, we also need to sort out certain painting subject, but reflected in the creative attitude of the context of the development of literati painting. Most of the the whole society. But for the entire Song Dynasty, because of scholars considered Wang Wei as the originator of literati the participation and involvement of the emperors in painting, painting, especially Su Shi compared Wang Wei with Wu the imperial-court decorative painting that advocates the form Daozi and he believed Wang was more excellent than Wu. Su similarity was still occupied the dominant position. Shi mentioned in his poem "Fengxiang Baguan, Wang Wei Wu Daozi Hua" that: “Wuzi suijuemiao, youyi huagonglun,mojie This is the meaning and scope to clarify Zhao Mengfu's dezhiyu xiangwai, youru xianhe xielongfan, wuyu erzi "ancient" which is "copy the previous generation" from the jieshenjun,youyu weiye lianren wujianyan,"[3] which means development of literati painting, from the above argument we that Wu Daozi's painting was excellent but it only can be can see that the "copy the previous generation" which Zhao counted as craftsman‟s work, but Wang Wei has a cultural Mengfu advocated from one hand is the pursuit of literati painting‟s “above all material desires”, which is follow the connotation, his works were beyond the image itself. Therefore although both of their works could be called "God‟s work", but development of literati painting since the Tang Dynasty, this Wang's painting is better than Wu Daozi‟s by comparison. Start was from the inheritance of painting. from Su Shi, Wang Wei‟s "poetry in the painting, painting in On the other hand, the "ancient" that Zhao Mengfu the poetry" has become a incarnation of “above all material advocate also has the meaning of pursuit the ancient literati‟s desires”, Wang Wei was also enjoyed such a high cultural character and vigour of style, that is to copy the ancient from status for the first time, in this position, he not only go neck the ideological level. The thought of literati can be traced back and neck with Wu Daozi, but also he surpassed Wu Daozi in to the Wei and Jin Dynasties, in that time the metaphysics was literati painting system. But in Tang Dynasty which considered prevailed, and the most important value of metaphysics is to realism as the mainstream, why appeared Wang Wei's “above show people's self-consciousness and highlight the value of all material desires”? personal existence. "Wei Jin spirit" embodied a concentrated On one hand this was related with Wang Wei's personal reflection of metaphysical celebrities‟ spiritual world, and experience, but more importantly is because Wang Wei has "Seven sages of the Bamboo Grove" "was the concentrated both a profound cultural heritage and also he could paint, so he reflection of “Wei Jin Spirit". What kind of spiritual realm is could put his own seclusion thought into paintings and convey the character of the literati? In short, it is simple and insipid the meanings outside the painting. The difference between the just like "Zhuangzi" mentioned: After carve and cut, reverted literati painter and imperial-court decorative painting painter is to simple. that the literati painter pay attention to the convey of personal The Tang Dynasty Wang Wei's "Harmony of poetry and emotions in painting, they have strong subject consciousness, painting" and his “above all material desires” in painting are but imperial-court decorative painting painter pay more both the intuitive expression of his literati thought. Su Shi from attention to the object itself and ignore the covey of painter's Song Dynasty was a great advocate of literati painting, he subject consciousness.